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Best kept secret at JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,718
High
DISTRICT 1,025 · STATE 1,035
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·LEON·NCES 120111001166
JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL
3013 JIM LEE RD, TALLAHASSEE, FL 32301 · (850) 414-5500 · Leon County
GRADES 09–12HIGH12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,718 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 48% of Florida public high schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Florida public high schools
Student : Teacher
26.2:1
66 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 21.4:1 · STATE 23.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
52%
889 students
DISTRICT 48% · STATE 50%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 513 | 30% |
| Grade 10 | 470 | 27% |
| Grade 11 | 429 | 25% |
| Grade 12 | 306 | 18% |
Student demographics
47%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 68% · STATE 70% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
FAST / B.E.S.T. 2024-25 . % at Level 3 or AboveEnglish Language Arts
39.6%
FL avg 56.7% . +0.1pp since 2023
Math
35.0%
FL avg 58.9% . +4.0pp since 2023
What this means: On the FAST / B.E.S.T., Florida's statewide test, about 40 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 35 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Florida schools, those numbers are about 57 and 59. Reading and writing scores have held steady since 2023, while math scores are up about 4 points.
FAST / B.E.S.T. results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 39.6% | 35.0% |
| 2023-24 | 39.5% | 31.0% |
% at Level 3 or Above, all students and all tested grades.
Source: FAST / B.E.S.T.. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
50.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
55.2%
based on FL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-5.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 50% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 55% typical for Florida schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Florida's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL
JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL's state test result (50.1% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL this school | 1,718 | 51.7% | 50.1% |
| ATLANTIC HIGH SCHOOL DELRAY BEACH | 1,810 | 54.3% | 44.3% |
| RIVERSIDE HIGH SCHOOL JACKSONVILLE | 1,638 | 51.8% | 44.1% |
| PALM BEACH GARDENS HIGH SCHOOL PALM BEACH GARDENS | 2,407 | 52.0% | 43.9% |
| PLANTATION HIGH SCHOOL PLANTATION | 1,696 | 44.9% | 47.5% |
| EDWARD H. WHITE HIGH SCHOOL JACKSONVILLE | 1,663 | 53.6% | 42.0% |
Matched among Florida high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Florida | In Leon County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 50.1% | #317 of 555 | #6 of 7 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 35.0% | #348 of 549 ▼ 19 | #5 of 7 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 39.6% | #503 of 559 ▼ 53 | #6 of 7 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,718 | #232 of 830 | #4 of 9 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 26.2:1 | #494 of 575 | #6 of 7 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 47.3% | #426 of 594 | #7 of 7 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 51.7% | #205 of 630 | #3 of 8 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +27.1% | #48 of 246 | N/A |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
1,718
+58 (+3%) vs 2020
+30% since 1990-91, when it was 1,322
Student : Teacher
26.2:1
was 26.8:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 1,718 | 65.6 | 26.2:1 | 52% (889) |
| 2023-24 | 1,575 | 66.6 | 23.6:1 | 57% (900) |
| 2022-23 | 1,581 | 64.6 | 24.5:1 | 57% (908) |
| 2020-21 | 1,660 | 62 | 26.8:1 | 54% (902) |
| 2017-18 | 1,352 | 62 | 21.8:1 | 56% (752) |
| 2015-16 | 1,284 | 61 | 21.1:1 | 57% (733) |
| 2010-11 | 1,227 | 65 | 18.9:1 | 56% (687) |
| 2000-01 | 1,465 | 86 | 17.0:1 | 22% (317) |
| 1990-91 | 1,322 | 77 | 17.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL.
About JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL
JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL is a large high school with its address in TALLAHASSEE, Florida. Enrollment stands at 1,718 students, covering grades 9 through 12. That is 66% above the average of about 1,035 students for high schools in Florida.
LEON (51 schools, 31,579 students) runs JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL.
More than half of enrollment at JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL is Black: 71%. The remaining shares are 10% Hispanic, 8% White, 7% Asian, and 4% multiracial. Leon County as a whole is about 30% Black, so the school's share is higher. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL scores 47%.
For every teacher at JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL, there are about 26.2 students; the school has 65.6 full-time-equivalent teachers. Statewide, high schools in Florida average 23.5:1. The eligibility rate for free or reduced-price meals is 52%. By comparison, the figure for public schools in Leon County is 41%.
JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL holds a B- allk12 Grade, placing it above 48% of Florida public high schools.
Given its share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL would be expected to post about 55.2%. Its actual average proficiency rate across its state test results is 50.1%.
For Leon County, Census Bureau data show median household income comes to about $66,287, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 49%, and about 10% of people live in poverty. There are 63 public schools in the county, enrolling about 35,246, JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL among them.
JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL is about 0.7 miles from FAIRVIEW MIDDLE SCHOOL, its nearest public school. Within five miles are at least 8 other public schools. Among its closest neighbors with test data, JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL is 2nd of 7 on proficiency.
The school's locale code, City: Mid-size, means it is inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
Federal enrollment counts increased from 1,660 (2020-21) to 1,718 (2024-25).
This community page is for conversations about open houses, carpools, and field trips. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Leon County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
297,542
Census ACS
Median income
$66,287
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
49%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
63
35,246 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in LEON
- LAWTON CHILES HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,881 students
- LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,822 students
- LEON HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,793 students
- AMOS P. GODBY HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,388 students
- WILLIAM J MONTFORD III MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 1,016 students
- RAA MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 928 students
Other schools in TALLAHASSEE
- LAWTON CHILES HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,881 students
- FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY SCHOOLCombined · 1,851 students
- LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,822 students
- LEON HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,793 students
- AMOS P. GODBY HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,388 students
- FLORIDA SCHOLARS ACADEMYCombined · 1,024 students
Nearby schools
- FAIRVIEW MIDDLE SCHOOL0.7 mi · 735
- FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY DEVELOPMENTAL RESEARCH SCHOOL1.6 mi · 519
- TALLAHASSEE CLASSICAL SCHOOL1.7 mi · 345
- PACE CENTER FOR GIRLS1.7 mi · 44
- FRANK HARTSFIELD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL1.7 mi · 353
- FLORIDA SCHOLARS ACADEMY1.9 mi · 1,024
Frequently asked questions
About JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOLWhat is the total enrollment at JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL?
JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL enrolls approximately 1,718 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL serve?
JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL serves grades 09-12.
How many students per teacher at JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL?
Approximately 26.2:1 students per teacher at JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL.
What is the racial breakdown of students at JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL?
At JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL, the student body is approximately 8% White, 10% Hispanic, 71% Black, 7% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Is JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL public or private?
JAMES RICKARDS HIGH SCHOOL is a public K-12 school, overseen by LEON.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.